Vehicle doors typically have an exterior panel and an inner panel that are secured together in a facing relationship and form a door cavity therebetween. The exterior and inner door panels are typically produced from a stamped and formed steel sheet although other materials such as fiberglass and aluminum are also used in the art. The inner door panel of a vehicle door is typically provided with one or more openings or holes for mounting certain accessories and mechanisms into the door and for providing access to the door inner cavity for installation and repair of door mounted accessories and mechanisms.
Examples of accessories and mechanisms installed into a vehicle door may include without limitation, audio speakers, electric door locks, window operating mechanisms, door locking mechanisms, remote side mirror controls and other accessories and mechanisms as may be provided on a vehicle. Vehicle door inner door panels are typically standardized to support a variety of production vehicle configurations, and therefore inner door panels are typically provided with holes and openings to accommodate mounting and access requirements of all planned and otherwise intended accessories and mechanisms, many of which may not be provided in a specific vehicle therefore leaving these unused holes and opening unfilled. In a vehicle door, an inner trim panel is typically secured over the inner door panel to close out the inner door panel and provide an aesthetically decorative inner door surface that faces into the passenger compartment.
It is commonplace for a portion of the water impinging upon a vehicle door to find its way into the door cavity behind the door inner panel. Water may enter the door cavity through any of several means, one means of water entry into the door cavity being water impinging upon and running down the door glazing (generally a transparent tempered or laminated glass window) mounted in the vehicle door. Water running down the window may find its way into the door cavity. It is typical practice of automotive manufacturers to provide a water deflector for closing out the holes and openings in the inner door panel and thereby preventing water in the door cavity from entering the interior of the vehicle or gaining access to the door inner trim panel. In automotive practice, water deflectors are typically a sheet of a water shedding material having a peripheral shape that is selected to cover the openings and holes in the door inner panel and to mate about its periphery with the inner door panel to which it is secured in some fashion. The bottom portion of the door cavity is typically provided with one or more drain holes to permit water that gathers in the door cavity to drain from the door cavity to the exterior of the vehicle, preventing water accumulation in the door cavity.